To whom it may concern:
The W3C has the moral authority it does because it advances completely open
standards that let anyone start and run an Internet-based enterprise. The
Patent Policy you have under consideration attempts to strike a reasonable
balance between the rights of IP holders and the rights of IP users, but it
is missing one vital ingredient.
You should add a section requiring members to fully disclose any patent
issues that might arise from the consideration of a W3C standard, and giving
up licensing rights to the protocols listed in the standard if such
disclosure is not made. It will be all to easy for companies like Microsoft
to hide pending patents until a standard is widespread and then start
charging people to use or develop software using those standards.
Intellectual property is not, by itself, evil. However, the W3C should do
everything in its power to avoid being the vehicle for a sneak attack on the
market and thereby throwing away your brand equity and your moral authority.
Sincerely,
Chris Woodard